[kenreau]

Our refrigerator just stopped cooling over night.  I suspected the kids may have left the door open last night, but just confirmed its not cooling properly.  Its 7 years old and everything else seems to be working properly, so my preference is to just fix it.  Problem is, I called two appliance repair companies and they are both booked roughly a week out, until next Wednesday. We're hosting Thanksgiving and expecting about 12 out of town relatives....Yikes.

Would anyone have a suggstion on what to troubleshoot?  I've done a couple of quick google searches and suspect it may be the compressor or condenser.  All the other electronics seem to be working properly. Lights all on, the fan seems to be running continuously, just no cold air.  I unplugged it for 10 minutes, brushed out some dust bunnies from the coils (not plugged).  The thermostat in the freezer and refrig both appear to work and trigger the unit to turn all the way off, or back on, starting the fan again.

Given there is no cooling being generated, is it typically one or the other compressor or condenser?  Are they just a remove and replace part?

Thanks
Kenreau

[richidoo]

The old compressor probably wore itself out running continuously overnight. If compressor is running but no cold you'll probably need a new compressor.

We got a new compressor last year for our 2005 whirlpool. It was factory part installed by factory tech, but the current crop of compressors are higher pressure than the original, so now the fridge cools fine, but chugs like a stopping steam train for a few seconds after shutoff until the extra pressure equalizes.

[Æ]

Our refrigerator just stopped cooling over night.  I suspected the kids may have left the door open last night, but just confirmed its not cooling properly.  Its 7 years old and everything else seems to be working properly, so my preference is to just fix it.  Problem is, I called two appliance repair companies and they are both booked roughly a week out, until next Wednesday. We're hosting Thanksgiving and expecting about 12 out of town relatives....Yikes.

Would anyone have a suggstion on what to troubleshoot?  I've done a couple of quick google searches and suspect it may be the compressor or condenser.  All the other electronics seem to be working properly. Lights all on, the fan seems to be running continuously, just no cold air.  I unplugged it for 10 minutes, brushed out some dust bunnies from the coils (not plugged).  The thermostat in the freezer and refrig both appear to work and trigger the unit to turn all the way off, or back on, starting the fan again.

Given there is no cooling being generated, is it typically one or the other compressor or condenser?  Are they just a remove and replace part?

Thanks
Kenreau

Hello, I am a former appliance repairman.

Is your compressor actually dead? Did it stop running? Or is it still running but no cool?
The most common problems with refrigerators these days are usually with the self defrost. "Frost Free" refrigerators actually self defrost themselves once or twice a day. A timer controls the cycle and a heating element quickly melts only the frost, not the food. There is also a temperature limit thermostat in the circuit so that there is no temperature excess.

Check your drip pan down below see if there is any water in the pan. if you can locate the timer, you can engage it manually. If you can see your evaporator (cold coils) either they are or are not cold. If they are clogged with ice, then your defrost cycle isn't working. If the compressor is running and there isn't any cold or very little cold you are low on refrigerant. To diagnose the compressor you have to use gauges, but if the compressor is running it's a good sign.

Condensor coils are the hot coils, evaporator coils are the cold coils. Refrigeration is evaporation in a closed, self recycling system.

If the evaporator coils are clogged with ice, even if the compressor is running, there will be no cold, because there will be no air flow. You refrigerator probably has two fans, one for the compressor/condenser and the other for the evaporator/freezer compartment.

[JerryM]

I once troubleshot and repaired my non-heating dryer via a YouTube video. Check there with varying search phrases and you may find something very helpful.

If nothing else, check your local Craigslist for free or nearly-free refrigerators. It would be better to have one of those over the Holiday than big ol' blocks of ice and cookie tray drip pans. 

[kenreau]

Awesome guys, thanks for the input! 

I can hear a fan running continuously, so I can't really say at the moment if it is the compressor or a fan.  Does the compressor act as a fan for circulating air?  I still  need to pull it out of cabinetry to give it a thorough exam.  I'll look into the timer as well. 

I'll report back what I find out.

Thanks again
Ken

Hello, I am a former appliance repairman.

Is your compressor actually dead? Did it stop running? Or is it still running but no cool?
The most common problems with refrigerators these days are usually with the self defrost. "Frost Free" refrigerators actually self defrost themselves once or twice a day. A timer controls the cycle and a heating element quickly melts only the frost, not the food. There is also a temperature limit thermostat in the circuit so that there is no temperature excess.

Check your drip pan down below see if there is any water in the pan. if you can locate the timer, you can engage it manually. If you can see your evaporator (cold coils) either they are or are not cold. If they are clogged with ice, then your defrost cycle isn't working. If the compressor is running and there isn't any cold or very little cold you are low on refrigerant. To diagnose the compressor you have to use gauges, but if the compressor is running it's a good sign.

Condensor coils are the hot coils, evaporator coils are the cold coils. Refrigeration is only evaporation.

If the evaporator coils are clogged with ice, even if the compressor is running, there will be no cold, because there will be no air flow. You refrigerator has two fans once for the compressor/evaporator and the other for the freezer compartment.

[kenreau]

Both excellent ideas, thanks, Jerry!

I once trouble4shot and repaired my non-heating dryer via a YouTube video. Check there with varying search phrases and you may find something very helpful.

If nothing else, check your local Craigslist for free or nearly-free refrigerators. It would be better to have one of those over the Holiday than big ol' blocks of ice and cookie tray drip pans. 

[Æ]

Awesome guys, thanks for the input! 

Does it the compressor act as a fan for circulating air?

No.
Not all refrigerators have the same number of fans. Typically one fan is there to blow hot air off the compressor/condenser coils and the other fan circulates cold air inside the freezer/refrigerator compartment(s).

[kenreau]

After a few DIY troubleshooting attempts, I ran out of time and skills.  I lucked out and found a repair firm that came out yesterday (Saturday).

Turns out the starter/switch that turns on the compressor had failed.  The parts replaced were part of a kit labeled "Compressor Starting Device" - includes a start relay, overload and cover.

The repair tech guy also said the compressor was a "Tecumseh" which were prone to fail (hard starting) and replacing them had been a real bread & butter part of his business for some time.  He said there is a 50/50 chance it will go out soon as well.  He recommended replacing it with an Embraco compressor for around $600.  The refrigerator is a really nice stainless steel bottom mount design with inside water, etc. that we really like.  I haven't found another of similar design in this size and given it was ~$2K new, we will fix it and keep it.  As you would imagine, if it was a basic $800 refrigerator, you would just toss it and buy a new one if you had to replace the compressor.

He also turned me on to a website they use that has basically any part available that you can buy for contractors pricing.  I need a new food tray and a water filter bypass kit I plan to order from them.

www.appliancepartspros.com

Thanks for the great advice here, guys!

Kenreau

[ctviggen]

There's also repair clinic, which I've used in the past for multiple parts:

http://www.repairclinic.com/

I haven't compared these two websites, though; not sure which one is better.